Meeting expectations

JOINING AN ORGANISATION or an ongoing project always creates some confusion, as to what exactly our role and our expected input are meant to be. It can be hard to adjust on the factory shop-floor, but it’s harder still in more abstract functions such as analysis or management.

As far as research is concerned, virtually all tasks and responsibilities fall within the scope of these two roles – managerial and analytical. Staff may assume one or the other, or combine both, and likely will become more proficient and engaged over time. Although most job offers stake out precise “terms of reference,” spelling out the prior experience and existing skills required to be operational, a work-environment centred on learning, creativity and innovation (as is the case with Synaps) will prioritise attitude over aptitude. You only know so much, no doubt. But with the right frame of mind, there is virtually no limit to how much you can know.

The tables below reflect an attempt to clarify expectations, facilitate the integration process, and increase transparency and accountability at all levels – to include leadership roles – within an organisation like Synaps. These grids are not set in stone; rather they offer a template that can easily be transformed to suit an organisation’s needs.

The tables compile basic requirements for analysis and management roles, at different stages of proficiency.

Level 1 describes a base-line for entry-point positions. In other words the items listed represent mandatory commitments, not aspirational goals.

Level 2 applies to mid-ranking positions, which tend to be as crucial as they are hard to fill.

Level 3 outlines a realistic endgame, whereby staff not only cease to need further mentoring and management, but assume a leadership role in transforming the organisation.

Naturally, all items featuring in a more junior level are expected to have been fully understood and acquired in a more senior level. A more nuanced gradient would include intermediate levels (1.5 and 2.5, say), representing additional transitional stages, in which staff have checked at least half of the requirements relevant to graduating to the next level.

Analyst

Level 1

☐ Submits his/her work and ideas for feedback, overcoming any inhibition regarding reception